WHY DO I HAVE CLOUDY WATER AND HOW DO I SOLVE IT
WHAT CAUSES CLOUDY WATER IN MY AQUARIUM?
The cloudiness is actually a bloom of a kind of organism (bacteria). In an aquarium, the organism usually remains at a very low level and invisible, unless food source are available to them. They feed on wastes that are found in the aquarium. The more waste that is available to them, the more they bloom. As they bloom, they fill up the aquarium, becoming visible to the naked eye, resulting cloudy water.
HOW DO WE CLEAR UP THE CLOUDY WATER IN THE AQUARIUM?
To clear up cloudy water, waste level in the aquarium has to be reduced. Without the food source for the organism to bloom, it will reduce to a low level of existence in the aquarium. In turn, the cloudy water in the aquarium will clear up.
Some of the common issues that cause waste level to increase are:
1. Over-feeding the fish that results in leftover food in the aquarium.
2. Overcrowding in the aquarium.
3. Dead plant or fish not removed from the aquarium.
WAYS TO REDUCE WASTE LEVEL IN YOUR AQUARIUM
1. Do Regular Water Change
Doing regular water change will remove waste product and the organism physically. Change only 20%-50% of the water weekly, depending on the cloudiness of your aquarium. As changing too much water may result in dying live stocks due to the sudden change in the environment for them.
Regular water change is important as it helps in improving the environment for the live stock.
2. Add Beneficial Bacteria
Beneficial bacteria help in breaking down waste product biologically through the process of Nitrogen Cycle.
Adding beneficial bacteria regularly will help to maintain a low level of waste in the aquarium and prevent any sudden bloom in cloudiness even when there is a dead plant or fish not removed from the aquarium.
Some of the recommended beneficial bacteria are:
- EIHO Bacter Gold
- JBL Denitrol
3. Add ANS Clearmax into filter
ANS Clearmax removes waste products by absorbing them, keeping the waste level low. Changing it every month helps to maintain crystal clear water and healthy water conditions for all live stocks.
It is simple and easy to use, just place it in the filter and ANS Clearmax will do wonders.
Related article: ANS Clearmax clears cloudy water in planted aquarium
ANS Clearmax Nano - great for tank up to 60L
ANS Clearmax 100 - great for tank up to 100L
Special case
In some cases, cloudy water is caused by the accumulation of tiny floating particles that the filter is unable to remove. In such cases, clarifier solutions are used to clear the water by clumping these tiny floating particles together, forming particles large enough to be removed by the filters.
One common scenario for such cases is when new gravels or substrate are added into the aquarium. New gravel and substrate usually have a lot of tiny floating particles in it.
Clarifier solutions that we recommend:
- JBL Clearol
- UP Aqua Crystal Clear
************Please Take Note************
Although the above ways are effective in keep your water clean and crystal clear, there are still factors that should be taken note of. Factors like overfeeding, overcrowding and having dead plants and/or fish in aquarium are not to be overlooked. Cloudy water would still occur if these factors remain unsolved.